小 (xiǎo) means "small" with 3 strokes, radical 小 (small), HSK 1 on the new exam.
Pronunciation
Meaning
Primary: small
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
The oracle-bone form of 小 shows three small dots or short strokes, usually read as tiny particles, grains of sand, or specks. It is an indicative character rather than a pictograph of a specific object: the dots signify smallness itself. Some scholars connect the original graph closely to 少, with the two only diverging later.
Form evolution
Bronze inscriptions keep the three-dot arrangement, sometimes with the central element slightly elongated. Seal script stretches the middle dot into a vertical hook and angles the two outer dots into diagonal strokes, producing the shape that becomes modern 小. Clerical and standard script only regularise the angles; the three-part structure is unchanged since antiquity.
How the meaning evolved
The core meaning 'small' has been stable for over three thousand years. Extensions developed in Classical Chinese include 'young' (小儿), 'humble' (used self-deprecatingly in 小弟, 小的), and 'minor' or 'trivial' (小事). Modern Mandarin keeps all of these and adds affectionate prefix use before names (小王).
Cultural note
The contrast between 小人 ('petty person', morally small) and 君子 ('gentleman') runs through the Analects and remains a live idiom in modern writing. Learners should note that 小 before a surname (小李) is warm and familiar, while 老 before the same surname (老李) signals respect or seniority, not literal age.
Mnemonic
A tiny thing split in two — small
Basic info
| Pinyin | xiǎo |
| Meanings | small |
| Stroke count | 3 strokes |
| Radical | 小 (#42: small) |
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 1, write by hand at HSK 1-2 |
| Frequency | #116 most common |
Example sentences
Words containing 小
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 小 | xiǎo | small | HSK 1 |
| 小姐 | xiǎojiě | Miss | HSK 5 |
| 小时 | xiǎoshí | hour | HSK 1 |
| 小心 | xiǎoxīn | watch out | HSK 3 |
| 小吃 | xiǎochī | snack | HSK 4 |
| 小伙子 | xiǎohuǒzi | Young fellow | HSK 4 |
| 小说 | xiǎoshuō | Novel | HSK 4 |
| 小气 | xiǎoqi | Mean | HSK 6 |
| 胆小鬼 | dǎnxiǎoguǐ | Coward | HSK 7-9 |
| 小麦 | xiǎomài | Wheat | HSK 6 |
| 大同小异 | dàtóngxiǎoyì | almost identical | HSK 7-9 |
| 大小 | dàxiǎo | size, adults and children | HSK 3 |
| 胆小 | dǎnxiǎo | cowardly, timid | HSK 5 |
Related characters
Similar meaning (abstract)
On the new HSK 1 exam
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.